We just returned from an adventurous 4 nights at Atlantis. My husband had wanted to slide down the Mayan Temple ever since we saw an add for Atlantis many years ago, so for his 50th birthday, that's what he did! The ride lasts for all of 20 seconds, but you feel like you were shot out of a cannon. Ladies, beware of bathing suit tops. They tend to come undone :)
Shoshana was a delight to work with. We has several phone calls and emails prior to our departure and answered all questions that I had, or directed me to someone who did. Our 1 bed/1 bath condo was clean, well appointed and close to the pool. Living room, full kitchen, dining room and a balcony! The Point restaurant poolside is where we mostly ate breakfast for under $20 per person. That's a rarity at Atlantis, as everything is expensive. Cab fare from the airport is about $35 plus tip, and a trip over the bridge to town and back is about $9. We found that buying snacks and booze in town and bring it back to our room was way more economical. Beers run about $9, and mixed drinks $14. I would highly recommend Cafe Athena in town for a Greek lunch or dinner, and the Poop Deck for harbor side dining which caters to locals as well. The straw market area was interesting, and a diverse menu of local favorite foods.
The park was clean, but crowded. The best times are 1st thing in the morning (it opens at 9 AM) and after 5PM due to the HUGE crowds from the cruise ships. Park closes at 7 PM. Several slides were closed due to maintenance issues. The tube ride into the shark tank was a blast, and the river rapids was probably our favorite. The Casino was fun, but don't expect to win big. Our favorite place was a bar in Cove Beach...good drinks (though pricey) and a swim in the cove where you can spot a lot of different fish swimming right next to you. Some were a little big for my comfort :) Atlantis as a whole is clean and visually stunning.
I would recommend the condo and Shoshana highly, which is why I gave 5 stars. The rest of the resort only rated 4 stars for the high prices and huge crowds, and the maintenance issues. I would return on the off season absolutely to avoid the long lines. There was a ton of things we missed and only ate on site one night. If you want to experience EVERYTHING, then stay at least a week. Hubby got to full fill one thing on his bucket list, so it was all good :)
